In the Bible reading today, we read of the sad ending to not only the life of Saul, but also his 3 sons, including Jonathan. I find it interesting in Chapter 28 that it is not only the ghost of Samuel that stresses God rejecting Saul but it is even Saul himself that recognizes that he is no longer in the favor of God. There was some questions yesterday after the teaching time by a few people about what I meant when God rejected Saul and then related that same rejection to Jesus on the Cross. I was told that “God does not reject people, and God never rejected His own Son, not even on the Cross”. I would like to hopefully clarify some of this up, because I believe I did a poor job explaining the truth in God’s rejection.1 Samuel 15:23 God states to Saul, “Because you have rejected the word of the Lord (sinned), he has rejected you as king.” Mark 15:34 Jesus states, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me”.Now in one sense the statement that was made to me is correct. God never ever rejects anyone who has a desire for Him and comes to Him. In another sense, God is in all places at once, in a relationship (of some kind) with every single person always, and has a love for all people. Remember that 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that God desires that all people would be saved. But in another sense, and here is the part I was trying to stress and did not communicate it very clearly. God does reject and turn His back on Saul and Jesus on the Cross. What I meant to say and what Scripture makes clear is that when God turns His back on both of these individuals He is removing His grace, mercy, and redemptive blessings from both of them. In the case of Saul, God removed it from him the rest of his life. In the case of Jesus on the Cross, God removed the grave, mercy, and redemptive blessing and replaced it with His holy, righteous, perfect wrath, which is why in that moment Christ knew His loving perfect Father was forsaking Him with grace, mercy, and redemptive blessing. So in the case of Saul, God would and did desire that at some point later after God rejects Him, because He rejected God, that Saul would repent and turn back to God and God would reconcile His grace, mercy, and redemptive blessings back to Saul. But Saul never does and in the reading today we see Saul die a sad Godless death. In the case of Jesus, He was rejected by His Father in that moment, so that the sheep who desire God will not have to bear the wrath and rejection of God themselves. Jesus Christ in that moment of God turning His grace, mercy, and redemptive blessing from the Son, made an atonement for us. I pray that explains and clears up some of the confusion from yesterday.

I have a hard time believing that Samuel's ghost was brought back to Saul to talk to and get advice from. Maybe our God did allow this....but maybe it was satan and his demons too. I realize a message needed to be given to Saul, but for it to actually be Samuel.....not sure It was truly him and not an imposter. And since God turned away from Saul, he had no one to help him. I don't understand how in previous chapters that Saul was filled with the. Spirit....then an evil spirit....then prophesying.....then evil again. Can you explain how God and evil spirits come and go in him? Or since it's in theological order....did all the Holy Spirit come first and then the evil after Gods rejection of Saul? Hard to grasp. Thanks.